Celebrity Reactions: Donald Trump Says “Son Of A Bitch” NFL Players Who Kneel For Anthem Should Be “Fired”

Truth rating: 10

By Shari Weiss | 10:49 am, September 23, 2017

(Getty Images)

Celebrities are reacting to Donald Trump saying “son of a bitch” NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem should be “fired.” See reaction tweets from stars and athletes below.

Speaking a rally in Alabama on Friday night, the president said, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now! He’s fired! He’s fired!’ You know, some owner is gonna do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it. They don’t know it. They’re friends of mine, many of them. They don’t know it. They’ll be the most popular person, for a week. They’ll be the most popular person in this country.”

Trump went on to decry concussion protocols, and then said, “But do you know what’s hurting the game more than that? When people like yourselves turn on television and you see those people taking the knee when they’re playing our great national anthem. The only thing you could do better is if you see it, even if it’s one player, leave the stadium. I guarantee things will stop. Things will stop. Just pick up and leave. Not the same game anymore, anyway.”

Though the president didn’t mention him by name, the comments seemed to be directed towards Colin Kaepernick, who started kneeling during the “Star-Spangled Banner” last year to protest ongoing oppression of black people in the U.S. and police brutality. He was subsequently slammed as unpatriotic, and is currently unsigned. Still, some other players have expressed their support. And now on Twitter, celebs and sports stars are ripping Trump for his take on the situation. For instance, in response to him saying “wouldn’t you love” to see an owner fire protesting players, Evan Rachel Wood wrote, “No. I would like to get white supremacists out of the white house.”

“Funny cuz he’s a piece of sh*t heinous stain on our history & @Kaepernick7 is an American hero who actually stands 4 something,” said Sarah Silverman. Jeffrey Wright asked, “Why’s it necessary to play the national anthem before NFL games anyway? Why shld an NFL stadium be a testing ground for one’s ‘patriotism’?” He then encouraged players, “Kneel so hard Sunday the earth shakes.” Asked Ed Helms, “What if every single @NFL player took a knee this Sunday?” Jemele Hill, who earned the wrath of the Trump administration earlier this month for calling the president a white supremacist, tweeted, “Prediction: Not one NFL owner, not Roger Goodell will say one word about what he said about Kaep or other NFL players. Not. A. One.” Don Cheadle replied, “I think they will. Which one though?”

Jesse Williams posted, “We’re not on the plantation anymore Chump. There will be no ‘buck breaking’ out here. Fingers on the hand form a fist. #TakeAKnee ‘til free.”Arsenio Hall incredulously asked, “So President Trump speaks out against @Kaepernick7 … but NOT a wonderful law abiding, American role model, and NFL owner like Jim Irsay?” Tom Arnold actually said, “I hope Tom Brady’s wife loans him one of her balls because today would be a good day to stand up for his brothers. #PagingBobKraft.” Russell Simmons urged, “The @NFL must protect its heroes and not be intimidated by Trump’s attacks. They must be loud, unapologetic and forceful in their response.” And Nick Cannon tweeted to Trump, “I guess Massa doesn’t want us in the Big House! And who are these ‘Bitches’ that we are the Sons of? #BlackMothers.”

Soledad O’Brien shared video of the crowd’s enthusiastic reaction to Trump’s remarks, writing, “Listen to it. This sounds like a Klan rally.” She also re-posted a tweet from Kaepernick’s mother, noting, “Mamacita weighs in.” Of the “son of a bitch” label thrown out by the president, the athlete’s mom tweeted, “Guess that makes me a proud bitch!” Kerry Washington replied, “Mom goals. #WeMatter.” Meanwhile, Reggie Bush, who is currently unsigned, commented, “#Kaepernick we riding with you bro.” Chris Conley of the Kansas City Chiefs also wrote, “When will people learn that fear won’t make someone sit down. It quite possibly will make more stand up for what they believe in.”

And despite Hill’s prediction, NFL commissioner Goodell released a statement on Saturday morning. He said, “The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture. There is no better example than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we’ve experienced over the last month. Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.”

Amid the backlash, Trump tweeted on Saturday afternoon, “If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!” Subsequently John Legend, alluding to the Hill debacle, tweeted, “The White House is again urging the firing of people who exercise free speech to fight for equality and justice. Shameful.” Zach Braff argued, “If someone wants the privilege of being the President, they should not be the worst person ever.” J.K. Rowling told Trump, “‘Privilege.’ Some people don’t get given millions by Daddy, Donnie. They actually earn it.”

“Imagine how many hours you have to work just to be average in the NFL versus how few you need to be terrible at President,” marveled Seth Meyers. Chelsea Handler wrote back to Trump, “You disrespect our flag every time you open your mouth. You don’t deserve to even talk about the flag.” Captioning a photo of Trump on a football field with the owner of the Patriots, Taran Killam wrote, “Get that son of a bitch off the field. #TakeAKnee.” Barbra Streisand remarked, The ‘you’re fired’ president thinks he’s still in a reality show! He’s the one who should be fired.”

And Diddy wrote in a series of tweets, “I just want to send some blessings and support to all the players in the NFL… You have a chance to do something really great tomorrow. If you do whatever you do in unity, you can’t be stopped. Do the math, stick together, stand up for each other, ride with each other. Believe me, we’re all we got. It has nothing to do with football or business. Ya’ll are our stars, you represent us. Ya’ll are our strong heros… show that strength please.”

Later in the day, the hashtag #TakeAKnee began to trend, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson wrote, “But he’s mad when players #TakeAKnee in protest of racial injustice.” Meanwhile, veteran comedic Ed Asner cracked, “I am taking a knee on Sunday. I might need someone to help me up. #TakeAKnee.” And Alyssa Milano simply tweeted the hashtag “#TakeAKnee.”